


The Stash

by JinxedAmbitions



Series: AK One Shots [1]
Category: Animal Kingdom (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-07
Updated: 2018-05-07
Packaged: 2019-05-03 17:46:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14574273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JinxedAmbitions/pseuds/JinxedAmbitions
Summary: Deran keeps a small stash of cash and jewelry from jobs, which no one knows about, hidden at Adrian's apartment.  Well, almost no one knows about it.





	The Stash

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on a bunch of short-ish one shots for these guys, so I'll be posting them every couple of days. It's a series of mostly unrelated one shots, so don't feel like you need to read them in any order for them to make sense. I'm just clustering them into a series for my own convenience.

Deran knocked on Adrian’s door, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he waited for Adrian to answer.  His car was parked on the street, so he was most likely home. However, that didn’t mean he wasn’t sitting in his room with his headphones on.  Deran never understood why Adrian always chose to wear headphones when he lived alone and didn’t have to worry about anyone else complaining about what he was listening to.

“Open the damn door, man,” Deran shouted, banging again.  

After a few seconds, Deran heard movement inside the apartment.  He continued to bounced slightly as he waited for Adrian to move through his apartment.

“Took you long enough,” Deran said when Adrian finally opened the door wearing nothing but a pair of lounge pants.

“It’s three in the morning.  I was asleep,” Adrian said, running his fingers through his hair.  

Deran didn’t apologize as he stepped inside, pressing himself to Adrian to kiss him as he passed.  “Need to shit,” he said, walking straight for the bathroom.

“Doesn’t the bar have a bathroom?” Adrian asked, sounding rather groggy.

“I was already on my way here,” Deran said, stepping into the bathroom and shutting the door.  He immediately went to the loose tile behind the toilet and removed it. He checked the small stash he had there.  It was one of three he had in Adrian’s apartment. He’d been hiding just a little for years, but it wasn’t always easy since he and Adrian hardly ever closed the door to each other.  

Deran had another small bit of cash hidden in the room Adrian kept his boards and another beneath the refrigerator.  None of them were very original hiding places, but then no one would really go searching Adrian’s apartment for cash in the first place.  The man ran a surf shop for heaven’s sake. What spare cash would he have stashed around?

“You might want to get your blood pressure checked if you’re shitting diamonds,” Adrian said from the doorway.

Deran whirled around, eyes wide as he held several stacks of twenties and a fistful of jewelry in his hands.  “What the fuck, man?” Deran asked, because this was somehow more embarrassing than getting walked in while taking a dump.

“Come on, I’ve been waiting to use that for months. I don’t even get a chuckle?” Adrian asked, folding his arms and leaning against the doorway.

“You know?” Deran immediately began doing the mental math of everything he’d left stashed in Adrian’s apartment before just as promptly stopping.  He couldn’t say whether it was because he trusted Adrian not to steal from him or because he didn’t care if Adrian took it, but doing the math wasn’t important.

“You think I don’t know you hide money here?” Adrian asked, gently kicking the backpack Deran had brought with him.  All that was left in it was a change of clothes and some wax for his board.

“How long?”

“Since I moved out of my old apartment while you were in East Mesa.  I thought I’d won the lottery when I found three thousand dollars and a Rolex in my closet.  It wasn’t hard to figure out it was yours. Tore that place apart checking for any other little stashes.  Never did get my security deposit back.”

Deran just continued to flap his mouth, but the words wouldn’t form.  

“You don’t know how tempting it was to clean you out after you beat me up in the restroom.  Came this close to taking it and disappearing,” Adrian said, raising his hand and pinching his fingers together.

“Why didn’t you?” Deran finally asked, putting the money and jewelry down and standing up to face Adrian.

“Because if that stash is what’s going to get you out, then I don’t want a cent of it,” Adrian said, stepping into Deran’s space.

“I’m trying,” Deran said, “I’m fucking trying.”  He ducked his head, looking right into Adrian’s eyes.  

Deran knew he should demand his three thousand dollars back.  Smurf would sucker punch any of them if they’d touched even a cent of her money without asking.  Adrian had it for close to five years now...but Deran knew he hadn’t spent it.

“Why do you let me come in here and pretend you don’t know I’m hiding money?”

“I don’t want to spook you.  Where else are you going to stash it?  Your bar is the first place they’d look.  Going to hollow out one of your boards and stash it in there?” Adrian asked.

Deran laughed manically.  The whole point of a stash was that no one knew about it, but Adrian had known pretty much all along.  What frightened him most was that he was okay with that. Adrian wasn’t blood, and with all that had happened between them, Deran shouldn’t trust him.  He did though. He always had.

“You mind if I finish up in here?” Deran asked, having nothing else to say.

“I’ll be in bed.  Don’t forget to shut the light off when you’re done,” Adrian said.

“Sure thing,” Deran said, leaning in and pecking Adrian’s lips.  Adrian wrapped his hand around the nape of Deran’s neck, holding him close as he deepened the kiss.  “I’d compare you to a squirrel with all your hiding spots if I didn’t think you’d punch me,” Adrian laughed as he Held Deran close.

Deran did punch him.  Not hard, but he hit him in the arm.  “Fuck you, man.”

“Your money and watch are behind a false wall in the closet,” Adrian said as they pulled away.  He didn’t say anything else as he turned and went back to bed. Deran watched him go, following the lines of his back.  

Taking his time, Deran placed the money and jewelry into the small space and placed the tile back over it.  Tomorrow, he’d move it to Adrian’s closet. For now though, he had other plans.

Deran grabbed his backpack and shut the light before walking into Adrian’s bedroom.  He dropped his bag, and his clothes soon followed as he walked over to the bed. Deran didn’t say anything as he slipped under the covers and pulled Adrian too him.  

“I’d rather have you here than your money,” Adrian mumbled, already sounding half asleep.

Deran didn’t say anything.  To say it aloud would give it too much power, but despite everything that had been bred into him, he’d rather be here as well.


End file.
